The FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar is the third consecutive tournament missed by Bafana Bafana and the man who scored the opening goal in the 2010 edition in South Africa, Siphiwe Tshabalala, has aired his disappointment with the national team’s recent failures.
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It's been 12 years since Bafana Bafana featured in a World Cup, having missed out on Brazil 2014 and Russia 2018 since hosting the world spectacle in 2010.
Tshabalala, who to this day receives adulation for this contribution to Bafana Bafana’s plight in 2010, says the national team’s shortcomings is a heartbreaking situation.
Speaking to journalists at the 2022 Walter Sisulu Discovery Tournament Launch in Sandton, the 38-year-old expressed his sentiments on Bafana Bafana’s shortcomings.
“With regards to Bafana Bafana, obviously it’s not nice when we talk about the world cup and the national team that’s not there. I think we have missed three World Cups now in a row which is not good for us,” he said.
“I hope the next World Cup, we’ll be talking a different story. I think everyone has a role to play when it comes to the national team. I mean we do have talent, there’s abundance of talent in South Africa but it’s about coming together in the name of the national team and make sure that we bring Bafana Bafana where it belongs. There were days where the national team was at the top and they were doing well. We’ve been there, and we can still go back there.
“Now we cannot talk about the world cup, we can talk about qualifiers, playing in the AFCON, where we will be tested. Where we will get the sufficient experience that will give us confidence going to the World Cup,” he continued.
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